Catch 22

All good methods. If I`m fishing open water, often I nose hook them weightless at 3 to 9 oclock, about 1/4" back with a 3/0 hook.

Did Ashley truly benefit from his added structure. I have no idea if he did. Anyone?

Oh Man,this report is "cruel and unusual punishment" to those of us still iced in. Wow nice report WTG C22

Negative on Fla. My friend has been there a few times. I always hit the Ocean City,MD show. Its close by. C22

A 30 or 40 series reel should work well. I`m big on Pflueger spinning reels. My setup is 6'6" rod,40 reel with 8 lb braid /leader. Its casts great. C22

Like everyone else this winter I`m about ready to freak. So a good friend and myself are planning to trailer two bikes down for the show.Its over 10 hrs so hand offs on the driving should save some fatigue. Is anyone else going to be there? March 6 to 15 http://www.daytonachamber.com/daytonabikeweek/search.cfm C22

Iv`e probably read that six times or more?,but at my age it was new all over again,thanks

Yep,my wife never really respected the welder I got for her birthday.

Funny thing, I just picked up 6 of them on sale about a month ago.I wasn`t sure why at the time,but now I know. All the pros guessed the winning weights pre tourney.My 49#4 matched Takahiro`s number.Most were in the 48 to 53 range. I picked up two Rap Shadows today $9 ea at Gander. Test run showed they do sink and have a sligtly wider sweep than LC`s. I don`t care for 3 treb lures but I can fix that. C22

The few times I ever did ice fish,I could never hit the hole when I cast,so I gave it up.

I was surprised to see the diverse depths where fish were caught.. I didn`t get a good look at Ashley`s home made lure but I think it had to be similar to the age old Mepps spinner with the plastic minnow. Look for his lure on the market soon.. I was thinking that anglers should use rods with larger eyes to overcome the ice problems. At least one I saw was doing that. Great T ,I really enjoyed it. C22

Totally agree

BTW,I used DAP Weldwood contact cement to bond the a flex

That says it all

Not for the engine but===Safety flares and/or meteor flares. Whistle or horn. High quality flashlight

I have an old 17' Coleman ABS canoe.The topside gunwales have a flat surface about 1-1/4" wide. I put 1" armorflex on the entire perimeter top side. It made the craft more quiet.The rods did not slip around as before.Laying the paddles on them makes no noise .And the big one,I did not have to take a trailer anymore.Upside down the canoe laid right against the van top,no racks. The van is nice so I would not chance dinging it. I put 2 20 lb bags of gravel in the far end to stabilize it in the water. Hard lesson learned that I need them. Hope this helps C22

I have lots of experience with this subject. When I got rid of my tin boat it had at least 20 rivets replaced. This sounds to simple to be true. Assuming you can access both sides of the hole you will make,try this. Drill the rivet out.Put a stainless steel round head 1/4" 20 nut/bolt x 3/8" long in place. No sealant,no washers,just torque the nut right proper. It usually takes two people to do this. Good luck C22

Check here. https://www.google.com/search?q=blueback+herring+pix&biw=1120&bih=559&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=k0XqVN-jAsifggTvp4HQBg&sqi=2&ved=0CB0QsAQ

It was 25 years since I ate a lmb, until last fall.I was many miles from food,so a coupla fishermen I met at the ramp invited me to their camp. We had deer back straps and lmb==and beer. Excellent meal just pan fried with butter. I later went out back ,got on my knees and prayed heavily to the fish gods to forgive me for eating some of their most coveted creatures. I do eat fish on a regular basis,but they come from salt water.Overall it depends on where any fish comes from and how it is prepared. C22

Hello A-Jay. Looks like the trek to the water is worth the effort. Nice catch. May I ask, did you make that boat cart. Also did you paint those goby plugs. Thanks ,C22

Several contenders mentioned missing the early bite because of the time delay. That should improve today assuming they start on time. Its seems strange to me that the bite is very early and /or late in the winter. However bass fishing around here is exactly the same way. If your not on the water at day break and get in the first two hours, you have missed the best bite of the day. Frost ,guides iceing and frozen hands are the norm. C 22

Hello all. Iv`e been on BR for a while now so please accept a belated intro.I want to thank every one for such a pleasant site.I recently bailed on two other sites because they were more a source of irritation than fun and sharing. I fish for everything from bluegills to tuna and sharks.I split my fishing to about 60% salt water 40% fresh water My basic roots are in bass fishing tidal and non tidal waters.I have fished many tournaments large and small mainly on the east coast.I`ve been around for a while and witnessed the rise of BASS at state and local levels.I never imagined it would develop into the phenomenon we now see. I`m retired 12 yrs now and really would be at a loss to figure out how to spend my time if I didn`t fish.Like many others I have waaaay to much tackle,but its what I do. Hopefully I can "blend" here on BR ,because so far I really enjoy it. Repectfully,Catch 22

Fantastic fish and well deserved after fishing for 18 hours. The comments to the article are sad.

Just recd an email from a friend at the classic. He said the water temp is about 36 deg.Air 19 deg I would break out the float n fly[if legal] or hair jigs Deep jerks drop shots slow dropping spinner baits,then slow roll blades How would you approach such cold water. C22

Sure thing on the bigguns,I once caught a 14 lb smallie.Trouble is I woke up before I could get it certified. Congrads to all you DD people. C22